Care, Love, And Tenderness
by MiladyGirl
Summary: Reid is down and out with the flu on the flight back to DC after a case, and Blake's maternal instincts kick in. Also some hinting at Blake/Rossi.


**A/N**

So, it's generally my trope to have stoic Blake being the one who needs to be taken care of for whatever reason. I've tried to put her in the caretaker's position from time to time when I'm in the mood for some H/C, but she's definitely not easy to get to accept that role.

However. With Reid, things might be different, since there was a bit of mother/son going on there. So this happened. Apparently I have a thing for scenes set on the plane. I guess it's because they're generally pretty relaxed and not all wrapped up in work.

* * *

Spencer Reid floated in a world of surreal shapes and physical unpleasantries. He was sweating and freezing and his entire body ached in the pace of a slow, second pulse. Even his skin hurt. Actually, even the roots of his hair did. Right outside of the howling agony that was his immediate reality, he could hear a low voice speaking, but it didn't seem important to really register this. Maybe once he wasn't so miserable. But even as he felt like he was wavering in the realm between life and death, he still felt safe and secured. Anchored, somehow.

* * *

"How's the kid doing?"

It was Rossi.

Blake looked up at him and put a finger across her lips to silence him, nodding to Reid who was sprawled out under a thick blanket, resting his head on her lap.

"Sleeping," she mouthed.

"I'm not sleeping," Reid croaked and pulled the blanket tighter. "I'm dying."

Blake rolled her eyes at Rossi and felt Reid's forehead.

"Actually," she said softly, "I think your fever's finally starting to break."

When she removed her hand, Reid groaned in discontent, so she put her hand back to see if that would calm him down. It did. She gently stroke his forehead and his hair, being very careful, knowing perfectly well how much the entire body hurt when you have a high fever.

"I'll go get you some tea," she said and started to get up.

"No, stay. You're soft to lie on."

"Oh, that's flattering," she said, but sank back into the seat as he adjusted his position and crawled up a little higher.

"It's true," he slurred. "After you gained weight…"

"Alright, thank you," she interrupted him and laughed. "I'll give you a pass on that one since I know you're probably hallucinating, but stop talking right now, okay?"

Reid began to cough, a hollow and chesty cough, and Blake suspected that he exaggerated it just a little bit this time so she'd let him off the hook, but she still felt too worried about him to tease him any further. Besides, she _had_ been slacking a bit in the exercise department lately, and had been meaning to catch up on it, but if her lazy month provided some comfort to poor Reid, she supposed she could live with it.

"You're spoiling him, Alex," Rossi said, but he sounded amused.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt if you helped me out in that aspect, would it?" she replied, tilting her head to the side and smiled. Whether it was conscious or not, she was on some level aware that Rossi couldn't refuse her anything when she smiled at him like that. "Would you mind getting that tea? It looks like I'm a bit tied up at the moment."

Rossi chuckled.

"You got it, Mama Bear. And what can I get you? Tea? Coffee? A scotch to ward off the germs?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Rossi turned serious.

"You should sleep a little yourself, you haven't had much of that in the past week."

"I'll be fine, Dave. As soon as Spencer is better I'll sleep."

The poor genius had fallen ill only a few days into the case and Blake had divided her time between working the case and checking up on him. Everyone had of course chipped in to show their sympathy, but it was Blake who had been sitting up all night keeping an eye on him to make sure he was breathing alright, fussing over him with what the entire team had agreed on seemed like the concern a mother could show for her child, regardless of age.

Reid rolled over - which in itself was impressive on such a narrow surface - and pressed his face against Blake's stomach as if trying to hide. He muttered something into her shirt, she had no idea what he said but replied;

"Yeah, sure," in a soothing voice anyway.

While waiting for Rossi to return with the tea, she kept caressing Reid's sweaty hair as he went back to sleep, and this time it wasn't the restless kind of sleep that had torn her heart apart to watch for the past two days. _This_ sleep seemed restful and deep, and even when his entire frame shook from the wrenching coughing fits, he stayed asleep. She looked down at him with an unusually warm and strong feeling building in her chest, and leaned down to place a discreet, motherly kiss on his forehead.

"You're going to catch that bug for sure, you know, but I suppose that wouldn't change anything," Rossi said as he put the tea on a table nearby and handed her a glass with just enough Ardbeg to cover the two ice cubes rattling against the sides. Blake responded with a shrug.

"He may have the highest IQ of any of us, but in a lot of ways he's still a kid. Besides, who doesn't need some TLC when they're sick?"

Rossi smiled.

"Nice try, Alex. You're doing it as much for yourself as you do it for him. You're not used to fussing over anyone but I can tell you want to. He's your surrogate kid, isn't he?"

Blake sipped her drink, shuddered a little at the sharp, smoky taste, and said;

"Go away."

"Only if you promise I get to take care of you when you catch it."

"If _you_ promise not to make me feel weird for taking care of _him_ ," Blake replied and ruffled Reid's hair affectionately.

"I'm sorry if that's what I did. It's just a bit surprising to see anyone other than Garcia playing the role of team mom, that's all," Rossi said and gave Blake's shoulder a quick squeeze. "You've been really sweet to him the past few days. For what it's worth, I think you're doing him a whole world of good."

Blake looked away.

"You all do," she replied.

"Yes. But neither of us can be the mother figure he's still looking for. And neither of us can be the kid you never got to see grow up."

Blake's head whipped up.

"How did…?"

But Rossi had already gone and left them alone. Blake considered calling him back, but she didn't want to stir Reid from what surely was a healing sleep, and so she decided to let it slide. It hadn't sounded malicious either way. She took another sip of the scotch and felt the first sign of raw pain dig into her throat like claws as she swallowed.

"Mom," Reid muttered.

"No, it's Alex," Blake said.

"Alex," Reid said in the same sleepy tone.

"Yes sweetie, what is it?"

"I love you."

And even though the claws tightening their grip on her throat, those words alone made it worth it.

"I love you too Spencer. Now go back to sleep. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."

As he once more drifted off to sleep, Blake switched the glass of scotch for the hot tea. Rossi had even put some honey in it, she noted.

 _It's going to be interesting to see if you'll stick to your word_ , _Dave_ , she thought. _I guess we'll find out within a day or so._


End file.
